Western Heibesu is the south-western part of the Empire, bounded by Crimson Lake to the north and the Red Drake Sea to the east. These low-lying meadows and plains are were most of the farmland of the Empire is located, earning the area the title of Imperial Breadbasket. About 70 percent of the land is arable and farmed, with most of the remainder light woodlands. The province is often known as plentiful, and Asao Province is known as the richest Province; even a farmer's home can be lavishly decorated. It is also known as the Land of Shining, probably because of the relatively higher than average happiness and loyalty to the Empire.
The Westerly Plains are the cradle of Imperial Culture, back during the Era of the Three Kingdom, and the realms there united centuries ago to form the Empire. There are many forts, most still in activity, as well as Unseelie ruins.
There are many villages and the road network is very dense, both because of the relative ease of construction and because of the amount of land-based traffic; at such the main roads are well protected and ryokan are very numberous. On the weestern shores, port towns are numerous, though Heibesu City boasts the biggest of them all.
Weather in the Plains is usually mild, though storms are known to occur. The Festival of the White Harvest is celebrated every autumn's end in the region, along with such traditions as hog hunting (which for the duration of the festival is allowed to everyone), in order to stock up the warehouses and prepare for the harsh winter ahead.
Another known Festival is the Midsummer Feast. Held in the middle of the year, usually on Taxing Day (and probably to alleviate the tax increases), temples offer blessings and massive feasts are organized in cities and towns, courtesy of the local Magistrates.
Weather in the Plains is usually mild, though storms are known to occur. The Festival of the White Harvest is celebrated every autumn's end in the region, along with such traditions as hog hunting (which for the duration of the festival is allowed to everyone), in order to stock up the warehouses and prepare for the harsh winter ahead.
Another known Festival is the Midsummer Feast. Held in the middle of the year, usually on Taxing Day (and probably to alleviate the tax increases), temples offer blessings and massive feasts are organized in cities and towns, courtesy of the local Magistrates.
The Plains are home to the native Chocobos and Dodos, though the latter are seemingly becoming rarer and rarer, prompting many scholars to try and safeguard some of them in giant plantations, such as Blade's Edge Estate on the road just outside Daihama City.
The largest town in the Imperial Heartlands is the harbour town and capital, Heibesu City, with more than 200.000 inhabitants.
The largest town in the Imperial Heartlands is the harbour town and capital, Heibesu City, with more than 200.000 inhabitants.
Points of Interests
Towns & Settlements :
Geographical Features :
Towns & Settlements :
- Heibesu City : Heibesu is the Empire's biggest city. Nowadays it is populated by nearly 200.000 people. The city is known for its massive harbour and its many temples. It is the hub of trading and political life in the Empire, and also one of the centres of the Imperial Enlightenment.
- Ninomiya : Ninomiya is known as the Second City and led by the powerful Yama Clan. Its harbour supports the Yama Fleet, tasked with maritime defence of the Empire. Ninomiya is also a crucial military position. During the Dazaifu Wars, an Imperial General once noted that whomever controls Ninomiya controls the entire mainland. In 1142, a rogue Sorcerer summoned creatures from the Shriek and caused the near destruction of the town - but even then, it managed to resist a Kaeda/Orandan military attack until the Empire pushed them back.
- Tsurumaki : Once a rebel city with a troubled history, Tsurumaki is today one of the bigger towns in the Empire. It is known for its thriving honey trade.
- Gildenheim : North of Ninomiya, the mountains are lorded over by the Dwarves of Gildenheim. This is the only Dwarven settlement and while the Empire nominally controls the land around it, the Dwarves are the ones who control and protect their mountains.
- Horiguchi : Horiguchi is a town bordering the Crimson Lake. It is mostly known for its river port, where all criminals taken to the infamous Bleached Sky Tower are processed and sent over on the Red Gondolas that shuttle between the prison and the town.
- Daihama : Daihama is a town on the shores of the Great Pearl Ocean. It is the home of Blade's Edge Estate, a massive Rugashi fortress known for its botanical gardens, sugar cane plantations and giant Dodo pens.
- Sokomo Isle : Sokomo Island is a very hilly island 110 miles west of Heibesu City. It is separated by the Mahoumi Sea. It is made up of an active Volcano, known as Sokoyama, and is known for being the home of the Academy of Magic - and a place of freak weather patterns no doubt caused by the very magical Font of Void deep in the middle of the island.
- Wakoshi Isle : Wakoshi Isle is a moon-crescent shaped island to the south-west of Heibesu. It is nominally under the control of a Rugashi governor, but in everyday practice it is a haven of piracy where even slave trade is said to occur. Many pirate clans live in the shadow of its cliffsides and scrape a living. The Yama clan regularly conducts raids against these pirate villages, but they never linger in one place too long, making pirates hard to remove.
Geographical Features :
- Crimson Lake : The Crimson Lake is a giant island lake. It marks the northern boundary of Western Heibesu and is lined up with pristine beaches. In its centre, there is a single, desolate island overshadowed by a tower of Unseelie design. This is Bleached Sky Island, a prison for the most dangerous of criminals and enemies, and also home to demons and Onis alike. Ryukuu Bridge carries the main route north of Heibesu City north into Narugami Province.
- Mount Kodasan : Mount Kodasan is known for the Temple located atop it. The Temple of the Ancients worships local Kami said to bring good luck to those in the plains below. However, most of the Temple is sealed off and visitors are not allowed in it. The local Archivists who live in the temple are the only ones allowed to access the secrets sealed within the Temple.
- Shirouma Range : The Shirouma Range splits the Westerly Plains in half and is dominated by Mount Shirouma. When Tsurumaki split from the Empire during the 521 War of the Roses, dwarves made full use of the mountain range to flank rebel troops; however as the war progressed, rebel troops hid in the mountains and attacked the Imperial Army in the plains in hit-and-run battles.
- Ninomiya Range : The Ninomiya Range is the northern extention of the Shirouma Range. It is home to the Imperial Dwarves and to their only fortress at Gildenheim. The First Dwarven War in 348 led to Imperial Troops annexing these mountains as theirs but following agreements named the Dwarves as eternal keepers of the Range.
- Kurobe River : The great Kurobe River begins in a spring deep within the Dwarven fortress of Gilderheim. The watershed of the river and its tributaries irrigates many of the farms of the Empire across the Heartlands, making the River one of the most important and revered rivers in the Empire. Many Kami live in its surroundings, bestowing blessings on the nearby farmers and fields. The Kurobe river flows into the Kurobe Estuary.
- Wailing Woods : The Wailing Woods, near Crimson Lake, are a cursed forest where Onis roam free. Some prisoners who manage to flee on their way to Bleached Sky Tower run into the woods, where they invariably are killed by the cursed creatures that dwell deep within its forest canopy.
- Yama Bay & Red Drake Sea : The Red Drake Sea is a massive body of water that borders the eastern part of the Imperial Heartlands. Many port towns line up its shores, such as Hatogaya, Nagano, Kitamoto and Ninomiya.